What the heck was I thinking? o.O; Anyway, this IS a Pokémon story, it's 
just that none of the characters have yet been mentioned (Except Ash, except 
his name has not yet been retreated). This is also an Alternative Universe 
fic, so it's kinda odd…especially since it takes place in…GASP…Norse 
Mythology! Yep, my insanity has been brought upon my love for Norse 
Mythology.

Anyway, a glossary of everything you NEED to know to understand the story 
(in Mythology parts) is below, and I have to say that this story is rated 
between a PG - 13 and R (Not yet decided which one is better) for some 
extreme descriptive violence (coming up) and some rather suggestive themes. 
Anyway, enjoy! ^o^



Glossary:


World: In the world of Norse Mythology, there are nine worlds: Asgard; the 
land of the Aesir, Vanaheim; the land of the Vanir, Midgard; the land of 
men, Alfheim; the land of the light elves, Jotuheim; land of the giants, 
Utgard; fortress of the giants, Nefliheim; the world of the dead (This also 
counts Hel), Nidavellír; land of the dwarfs, and Svartalfheim; land of the 
dark elves. Each of the nine worlds is held at the branches of Yggdrasil, 
which is a giant tree that is watered by the three choosers of destiny 
called the Norns: Urd (Fate), Skuld (Being), and Verdandi (Necessity). Each 
of the Norns brought the destiny of each man and animal. At the roots of 
Yggdrasil, Nidhogg (the dragon known as The Corpse Eater) guards Nefilheim 
and eats the roots of the tree, as well as eating the corpse of the dead. 
Ratatosk the squirrel scurries up its branches, deer feast on the leaves, 
and an eagle stays atop.

Notes:

In Asgard, the land of the Vanir Gods, Odin (known as The Wise One, Terrible 
One, or Wodin) watches over the nine worlds in his hall called Valaskjalf.

The Vanir used to be in war with the Aesir, in which caused Njord (Plus his 
daughter Freyja and his son Freyr) to move to the Vanir for the sign of 
peace.

Loki is the trickster fire god that can change into anyone and anything. 
He's often the reason everything has gone wrong in this mythology, and is 
usually the one who as well fixes them. He's also Odin's adopted brother, 
and has a wife named Sigyun, although he's often known to cheat off of her. 
He has four children; the three monstrous children [ he bore them with a 
frost giant I've currently forgotten the name of ] Fenrir; the massive wolf, 
Hel; the goddess of Nefilheim, Jumerang; the Midgard serpent, and the horse 
Sleipnir in which he bore himself when he mated with a horse as a trick to 
make a giant loose Odin's bet.

Thor and Balder were Odin's children. Thor was the God of thunder and 
possessed a mighty hammer that never missed and always killed its target. 
Balder was a peace god that was killed by Loki when he threw mistletoe at 
him, stabbing him to death.

Dragons were often demons and were an awful amount of trouble. When Loki 
received a huge treasure that possessed a cursed ring [ and gave the 
treasure to Hreidmar for killing his son ] Fafnir, one of Hreidmar's sons, 
served the price of getting cursed by the ring, killing his father, and 
turning into a hideous dragon that guarded the treasure Loki had given them. 
Soon Sigurd killed the dragon, ate its heart, and fell in love with the 
Valkyrie Brynhild.

Valhalla was the hall of the slain. The three Valkyries [ maiden's of the 
slain ], took the souls of the dead, and brought them to the great hall to 
fight at Odin's side.

Gungnir is Odin's special spear made by the dark elves; it never misses, and 
always returns to its owner.

Sleipnir was bore by Loki (when he tricked a giant's working horse to wander 
off and mate) and is Odin's eight-legged horse. He can run over ocean and 
land, and is faster than any horse in the nine worlds. Its power is even 
great enough to enter the halls of Nefilheim, in which Odin did when he 
tried to rescue Balder from Hel.

Idun is the Goddess of Spring. She grows golden apples that restore the 
youth, and gives them to the gods so they can always stay young. Once Loki 
was tricked by an eagle [ which was really a frost giant ] to kidnap Idun 
and her apples in order for him to save his life. Odin and the other gods 
began to age very gradually, which of course made Odin furious. He ordered 
Loki to get Idun back, which he did eventually by using Freyja's falcon 
cloak, and turned her into a nut so he could bring her back while the other 
gods killed the giant. Later the giant's daughter, Skadi, becomes enraged 
and demands revenge for her father's death. Eventually Loki cheers her up, 
and she marries unhappily with Njord. [ I don't blame her, actually… but 
then again, that's what you get by choosing your husband by looking at their 
feet ]






Dragon Crusade
Chapter One


Thunder howled and cracked among the outer walls of Asgard, spraying an 
aroma of burnt wood and ash among the pouring hills and slopes.

Heidrun, with a mouth filled of soggy grass and pine, leaped down the moss 
and rocks to find shelter under the roof of Yggdrasill, Oak-horned doing the 
same as the river that balanced among its ash-tree horns poured behind his 
mahogany fur of fall. Besides these two creatures among the field of Asgard, 
everything remained still and unconscious. Lightning was the only object 
that remained active among the distance and burning thunder of anger.

The silver and gold palace on the hill glimmered and lashed out light to the 
bracing storm, rain pounding its fist on the massive corridor that led its 
way inside the house of the Gods.

As thunder yet again lashed a reflection of the manor on the east, casting a 
large shadow among its exterior, a silver falcon with piercing golden eyes 
fluttered through the rain on dreary wings, landing on a draping perch of 
Yggdrasill with a shrill.  Upon hearing this uproar from this familiar 
silver falcon, servants of the Gods began pulsing down the ropes of the 
entrance to Asgard, letting the corridor drape down like a piece of cloth.

The falcon's wings hovered into the air as the chains of the door began to 
clang and twist, lowering ever so slightly as rain gushed down its edges. 
Seeing the corridor making an opening, the falcon suspended its wings, and 
hovered into the halls of Asgard.

When the bird made its way into the entrance of gold and majesty, the 
corridor again rang shut, causing the servants to drop their ropes in 
relief.

Soaring, and screeching just the same, the silver falcon hovered above the 
passing Gods and servants in the hallway, making its way only to find the 
hall of Odin, Valaskjalf.

Gold sprung in all directions as it made the entrance to the gate of 
Allfather, only stopping to perch on an ornately decorated door staff. 
Gazing with fiery eyes, the falcon gawked at the edge of Valaskjalf, 
watching the nine worlds spring to life before his very eyes as a hooded 
figure began to approach the corridor of Asgard.

Noticing everything was in correct order, the falcon nodded to itself.

"It's about time you made it, Loki." The Allfather stood before the falcon 
with his one beaming eye, watching its every move as it had just done to 
Valaskjalf. "I thought you had been eaten by a frost giant. That would've 
been to Thor's pleasure I suppose."

Loki fluttered to the floor of the hall as his human shape began to return, 
the falcon cloak that belonged to the fair Goddess Freyja hanging at his 
shoulders as he sat their grinning at the Allfather contently. "Maybe so, 
but it's not like I'd let him get away with it. I'd slit the monster's 
throat before he'd digest me." His fiery eyes relaxed into a deep emerald. 
"And to think you hadn't even though of that. I thought you were supposed to 
be wise, Allfather Odin!"

Some of the Gods that hung out behind Odin in this meeting followed the joke 
in quiet chuckles as Odin continued to scowl at The Sly One, threatening to 
split his ribcage like a falcon if he made one more scarce comment.

Content with annoying the God, Loki gathered up the falcon cloak, and headed 
over towards the others, smiling coarsely at Freyja who insolently snatched 
her cloak back once he reached her sight. Loki simply laughed at her 
rudeness, and carelessly walked over to the left side of the group where he 
could spread tall tales about 'mysterious' fruits to Idun.

Odin sighed at the Trickster's immaturity, but soon as well began the 
meeting he had called them all together to discuss. "My friends…"

The Gods looked up at him immediately, watching his one eye survey them with 
wonder.

"It seems we have a new person to join us here in Asgard."

Loki immediately looked over the people in the room with an amused face. 
"And to think I didn't know an affair had been going on. Gee, I'm losing my 
touch, aren't I Thor?"

Thor polished his massive hammer with his fore thumb, and glared at Loki 
with vicious eyes in a threatening warning. Loki immediately cowered away.

Odin too glared, but soon continued as Loki shut up about his sly traits of 
a rat. "But it's of no one descended of here, but of Nidhogg…"

Gasps spread around the talk of the Gods, not believing that Odin was 
actually letting a child of the corpse eater of Nifelhieim to actually enter 
to godly gates of Asgard.

"But before you jump at my throat of letting a 'dragon' into Asgard, I 
wanted to include that this child looks as human as all of us." He looked 
over at the in-though Kvasir, seeing that he too had nothing else to say of 
Nidhogg. "It seems that Brokk of Svartalfheim found him on the north side of 
his home while burning some gold to make a cup that could fill the ocean. It 
also seems that Loki…" Odin's eyes glared at the trickster as he began to 
lean over to cut off part of Thor's reddish beard with his knife "had 
something to do with it as he came to try to make them fill the cup up with 
spiders instead of water."

Loki shrugged, and quickly pulled his knife away as Thor glared at him in 
suspicion. "I thought elves liked spiders."

Ignoring that comment, Odin continued his story. "Catching him in the act, 
Brokk gave the child to him as some sort of punishment, of course telling 
him to deal with the 'dragon child.' But I've figured that if we could train 
the boy of our ways, and keep him away from Loki, we wouldn't have to see 
the child's blood spread into our faces."

Balder nodded at Odin's decision, and looked at Kvasir. "It could also prove 
helpful at war if we have a dragon at our side." He laughed. "Come to think 
of it, we usually have quite a bad time with dragons…it'd be more than 
helpful if he could join us."

Freyja looked flabbergasted and disgusted at this, freely letting everyone 
see her opinion on her lips. "Allfather, this is absurd! Letting a dragon 
into Asgard! You know how carefree their minds are…!"

Odin cut her off, "True, Freyja, but you have to remember that this dragon 
is more human…"

"Which is also very hard to believe." Njord finished, letting Freyja nod to 
her father's let back. "It's quite unusual for a dragon, especially a male 
dragon, to give birth to a human child. Quite absurd, actually…unless you're 
talking about Loki."

Loki's face flushed as he immediately searched for a comeback. "Well, I 
think it's actually very possible that a dragon could give birth to a human, 
Njord…especially since an ugly brute like you can help give birth to such a 
beautiful Goddess such as Freyja."

The Gods snickered as Njord's face became raveled in anger.

Odin thrust his spear on the floor in anger, making golden chips fly. 
Silence spread like a storm throughout the Gods.

"Look, I have faith in this. Trust me." He signaled Loki. "Where is he, 
Loki?"

Loki grinned. "Why, I told Skirnir to bring him. I saw him coming to the 
gates a few minutes ago. In a black cloak."

Freyr looked outraged. "You trusted that bastard with a job of Odin?"

Loki waved his head in quarrel. "My, Mr. Freyr, you sure have a limit of 
trust."

Kvasir's ears perked up at Loki's lexis, his cranium leisurely moving 
towards the access hall as a slender clatter endorsed throughout his mind. 
"Skirnir is here…"

He was the right, for the massive hall of Valaskjalf creaked ajar within a 
leak of golden luminosity, shadows scraping down the radiant floor of the 
great hall as the massive footsteps of Skirnir stepped into the foyer…



*~&~*


The luminosity hurt my eyes. It singed and parched them so, but my bandaged 
left arm hid the light's pain. My arm ached worse than anything I could have 
ever imagined-for it was sweltering up pain by the instant, and every 
occasion my arm lifted even such a tad, the pain would tear its way to my 
shoulders.

I wanted to see what was initiating the throbbing under the guidance of the 
bandage, but with Skirnir keeping his immense golden eyes on me, I was way 
too terrified to even speak; for he was a colossal creature-a beast that 
made the ground shake even when he walked on his toes. But…what were toes 
anyway?

"Here is Valaskjalf." Skirnir gazed at me with those cogitate eyes of his, 
apparently waiting for me to say something. Instead of speaking, I trembled, 
and took a deliberate step backwards, one so dense that it made him scowl. 
That glare made me feel as if a rock had jammed into my ribs, a sheer grief 
overcoming me as he continued to wait for my response. Yet, I still said 
nothing. Maybe it was for the fact that I couldn't…

Sighing, he soon gave up on me, pushing me forward amid his massive leathery 
gloves. That leather smelled of blood and skin-the skin of a female cow that 
had been slaughtered and tied down helpless and insecure. The smell of a 
whimpering, completely helpless animal killed in the sake of the egotistic 
humans. I hated humans for what they did to other creatures. It was too 
inhumane for my keen sense of smell and I to handle. For not only was the 
odor vile and revolting, but I couldn't stand to think of how that cow must 
have felt when it was about to be massacred.
Hunching my shoulders to the frame of my collar, I softly pressed at the 
giant's vastly gloved hand, trudging into the hall slapdash and uneasy. 
Radiant luminosity was everywhere in this infinite hall Skirnir called 
Valaskjalf-golden and vast and splendid.

Wind compressed amid the hair on my neck as the substantial void blew in the 
weather of the nine worlds, my mahogany eyes gawking in amazement as I 
scrutinized a warrior in Midgard sail off in an ash-carved yacht, a gleaming 
ball of ember within his palm illuminating his way through the dimness of 
the storm. The boat traversed among a short wave of Ymir's blood in a 
trivial scull, sailing a brief distance before being consumed by a massive 
serpent.  Blood spewed into the ocean and arose to the summit like a 
hovering feather, the vessel lying crippled in wooden fragments. My eyes, 
frisson and grovel, shivered at the scene, my stomach feeling as if a rock 
had splintered my ribs ajar like an eagle.

"I see you've met the Midgard serpent."

My barbed teeth socked my lip so vigorously at the alarm of a new voice that 
blood swelled down my chin, robustly curving down my neck. I maladroitly 
turned to cope with a one-eyed man masked in an ornate masquerade, one that 
seemed to be produced by the Norns themselves among their many unique 
capacities. With my aggrieved left arm, I chafed the blood off my jaw, 
letting the pallid bandage wrap like magic stain into a crimson color. 
Staring at it ineptly, I cringed, but still extracted it back to my waist.

Skirnir look intently at the man with intolerance, permitting me to scowl at 
him for no utter reason. He stared at Valaskjalf, then at me, inclining an 
eyebrow in an almost utter method. "I don't know what you would want to do 
with a child like this, Allfather. He doesn't say anything. Quite awkward 
for a child really, being so quiet. Hasn't spoken a word to me since I've 
met him."

An attractive mahogany haired maiden glowered at me with pungent golden 
eyes, revealing her bared teeth as she spoke back to the Allfather. 
"Probably doesn't know how to speak. The stupid dragon."

My heart descended to the foundation of my chest, thrashing at the bottom 
like a skipping stone as my horror-crammed eyes still penetrated in the 
midst of the one eyed Allfather. Seeing my dread of him and this atypical 
dwelling, he pushed the smooth edge of his spear to my right cheekbone, a 
sweep chill overpowering my body at its contact. I shook with frisson.

"Freyja, please be quiet at this moment of culpability. He's probably more 
afraid than you are."

Freyja's cheekbones became wide, her emerald eyes resentfully quaking out 
her rage. "Me, afraid of a dragon?" The stuck-up resonance in her voice 
worried me. "Hmph, like that will ever seek into my blood."

Gazing at the antagonism clean in her eyes, I felt devastated and forlorn, 
helplessly massacred in a pool of shallow blood that gleamed ebony to the 
arising darkness-no one to help me to my feet or wail of my demise.

The shrouded God looked at me for the second time, pointing his index finger 
at my forehead. "Now boy, what is your name? If you speak to me, I'll take 
my spear away."

My cheek scratched brutally at the face of the javelin as the God's palm 
shook agitatedly, a stab of pain searing through my face as my eyes 
continued to shiver.

My…name?

My eyes hallowed into a deep mahogany, the pain in my left arm increasing 
steadily as I thought.

But I had always called myself 'I,' 'me,' and 'myself'…did those count to 
this one-eyed Allfather?

Peering at the massive lance held at my cheek with tense eyes, I struggled 
to push back the air in my throat to release a sound, only succeeding in 
making a high-pitched inhuman snarl.

The Allfather's spear released from my flesh, permitting my muscles to once 
again loosen up.  He awkwardly gazed at the Goddess. "Hm…I guess you're 
right about one think, Freyja-he can't talk."

"Of course I'm right. Dragons are stupid creatures. Ever heard of one 
besides a demon that could actually say something?"

The Allfather groaned, seemingly trying to think of something that could 
'expose' my nature in some way or another. He appeared to have thought of 
something, for before I knew what had happened, a cunning looking God stood 
before me smirking impishly.

"Loki, try to make the boy laugh." The Allfather's eyebrows ascended in 
bother. "Serve this chance as the only chance to even talk to him. The only 
reason I'm even letting you near him is because you can just about make a 
weeping lily laugh."

Loki grinned slyly. "Of course I can. I'm me, aren't I?"

"Doesn't matter. Just do it."

"Of course." Loki sauntered up to me offhandedly, looking down at me with a 
mock of superiority as his auburn hair bounced to his eyebrows, my eyes 
watching an ebony male goat meander into the room as Loki went to gather it. 
"Well I was taking this goat to the market one afternoon, you see…"

With his left hand clasped around the goat's horns, his right hand picked up 
a golden piece of twine, leisurely fastening it roughly around the goat's 
bristly neck. "And being rather creative that day, I decided to take it in a 
fashion of tying it to my testicles…"

My eyes swelled as Loki took off his denims, tying the golden piece of cord 
around his testicle. How could a God be so insane? Weren't they supposed to 
be smart?

Noticing the expression tied on my face, he chuckled bitterly, soon 
continuing his little story that made no sense in my tome. "And you know how 
goats are; they tend to wander off." As if psychic, the ebony goat began to 
wander off to the other side of Valaskjalf, apparently looking for some 
grass to nibble on. Holding the cord up, Loki yanked back, pushing the 
goat's head up with a jerk. "The goat kept pulling and pulling, and since it 
hurt, I tried pulling the cord back, you see."

I slowly nodded to his ignorance, watching as the goat's game of tug-a-war 
broke out. "And then…" The goat sharply charged forward, wrenching the cord 
onward within a sharp jerk, causing Loki to give away. A pained look 
suffocated on Loki's face as a sharp hissing noise escaped his throat from 
the yanking of his testicle. "Krwwwaaaaaaak!"

I blinked in chaste doubt, trying to find out why this sly God was trying to 
show me a day that only put him in pain. Maybe the citizens in this place 
called 'Asgard' were really just stupid humans.

I sighed. Even if they were powerful, it'd take them a long time to bring me 
down--even if I was scared. But then again, right now I was awful tired. The 
sleepiness was settling in my stomach, and the moist efface in my eyes were 
securing and seeking shut.  So with the Gods glaring at me and my eyes 
sealed shut, I fell asleep--not sure if I was yet ready to await the next 
morning I would arrive in Day's domain.